James Earl Ray

James Earl Ray was an American fugitive who assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.

Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: The fatal shooting of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Ray pleaded guilty to this killing in 1969.
Missouri State Penitentiary: A former maximum-security prison in Jefferson City, Missouri, that operated from 1836 to 2004. Ray escaped from the prison in 1967 while serving a sentence for robbery.
Alton, Illinois: A city in southwestern Illinois on the Mississippi River, north of St. Louis. Ray was born there in 1928.
Martin Luther King Jr.: An American Baptist minister and civil rights leader who advocated nonviolent resistance to racial segregation. Ray’s assassination of King made him a defining figure in the leader’s death.
Lorraine Motel: The Memphis motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. Ray’s rifle was fired at King from a nearby rooming house overlooking the motel.
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives: An FBI list of fugitives considered especially dangerous or prominent. Ray was added to the list after fleeing custody and became its 368th capture.
George Ray: The name James Earl Ray used while living in Canada before the assassination. The alias helped Ray obtain a Canadian passport during his flight.
Civil Rights Act of 1968: A United States law addressing housing discrimination and strengthening federal civil-rights protections. Congress enacted it days after King’s assassination amid national mourning and unrest.
Loyd Jowers: A Memphis restaurant owner who later claimed involvement in a conspiracy to kill King. Jowers’s allegations renewed public dispute over whether Ray acted alone.
Scotland Yard: The headquarters and public name of London’s Metropolitan Police Service. British police arrested Ray at London’s Heathrow Airport in 1968.

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